UCLA’s 19 NCAA Championships

Since 1970, UCLA has won 19 NCAA volleyball titles. Among UCLA sports, that total is a school record. Below are capsule summaries of UCLA’s 19 NCAA title teams. The 19 titles for a single sport rank tied for 10th-most among all Division I programs (fi rst is Oklahoma State wrestling which has captured 34 titles).

1970 - AT UCLA

The Bruins won the fi rst NCAA championship in Pauley Pavilion by surviving a round-robin tournament and easily sweeping Long Beach State in the fi nal. The Bruins’ Dane Holtzman (MVP), and All-Tournament selections Kirk Kilgour and Ed Becker gave coach Al Scates the fi rst of 19 title trophies.

1971 - AT UCLA

Again UCLA played host and repeated as champion. The Bruins, despite an easy victory in their fi rst match, survived the tough round-robin pool play format where they were extended to three games twice. In the fi nals, UCLA defeated UC Santa Barbara in three games. Kirk Kilgour ended a brilliant UCLA career by sharing Co-MVP honors with the Gauchos’ Tim Bonynge. The Bruins’ Larry Griebenow and Ed Machado were All-Tournament selections.

1972 - AT BALL STATE

The Bruins won their third consecutive title as heavy underdogs to San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara at Ball State. The Bruins, who received an at-large bid, were routed by SDSU in round-robin play, but an upset against UCSB gave them a fi nal match showdown against the Aztecs. SDSU appeared ready for a three-game sweep, winning the fi rst two games, 15-10, 15-9, and opening an 8-3 lead in Game 3. But the Bruins rallied after Scates called a timeout. MVP Dick Irvin and All-Tournament selection John Zajec sparked the comeback.

1974 - AT UC SANTA BARBARA

UC Santa Barbara was the heavy favorite to win at home and easily beat the Bruins in Games 1 and 3 in the title match. With the Gauchos ahead 6-1 in the fi fth game, Scates inserted seldom-used freshman Sabin Perkins, who served six straight points, including three aces, to reverse the momentum and give UCLA its fourth championship in fi ve years. UCLA’s Bob Leonard was named MVP, and Mike Normand and Jim Menges were named to the All-Tournament squad.

John Zajec was a member of UCLA’s fi rst three NCAA title teams and earned NCAA All-Tournament honors in 1972.

1975 - AT UCLA

UC Santa Barbara invaded Pauley Pavilion unbeaten and with the reputation as the best collegiate volleyball team in history. Before more than 8,000 fans, Scates received a great fi nal match performance from MVP John Bekins and fi ne hitting and blocking from All-Tournament members John Herron and Joe Mica, as well as Chris Irvin, Fred Sturm and Denny Cline.

1976 - AT BALL STATE

Down 15-14 in Game 1 against Pepperdine at Ball State, the Bruins staged another of their patented comebacks after backup setter Steve Suttich made a diving save off what appeared to be the game point. The Bruins went on to easily win Games 2 and 3 and their sixth title of the decade.

1979 - AT UCLA

After a two-year title drought, the Bruins returned to the NCAA Championships on their home court unbeaten and primed to become collegiate volleyball’s fi rst undefeated team. Despite dropping the fi rst game, 12-15 to USC, Joe Mica sparked the comeback that gave UCLA its historic 31-0 season. Sinjin Smith was voted MVP and Steve Salmons, Peter Ehrman and Mica were named to the All-Tournament team.

1981 - AT UC SANTA BARBARA

UCLA overcame injuries to win a fi vegame match against arch rival USC. The Trojans led 5-1 and 9-7 in the fi fth game, but All-Tournament selection Steve Salmons, who spent most of the season rehabilitating his knee, rallied the Bruins this time. MVP Karch Kiraly set brilliantly and Steve Gulnac earned All-Tournament honors. The victory avenged the previous year’s four-game loss to USC in the fi nals at Ball State.

Joe Mica earned NCAA All-Tournament Team honors in 1979.

1982 - AT PENN STATE

Ranked No. 1 and undefeated, the Bruins entered the NCAA Tournament as heavy favorites. UCLA swept Ohio State in the semifi nals. The next night the Bruins downed host Penn State, 15-4, 15-9, 15-7. Kiraly became the fi rst player in collegiate volleyball history to receive MVP honors two straight years, and Doug Partie, Mark Kinnison and Dave Mochalski were All-Tournament selections.

1983 - AT OHIO STATE

Despite losing three of their fi rst six conference matches, the Bruins rolled to their second straight league title, forcing Pepperdine, which had beaten UCLA in two of three meetings, into the grueling regionals. The Waves won the wildcard spot, setting the stage for another UCLA-Pepperdine battle. In the semifi nals, UCLA cruised to a threegame victory over Ohio State, and the Waves obliged by beating Penn State. In the fi nal, UCLA dominated play at the net and limited the Waves to a .099 hitting percentage. The three-game sweep gave coach Al Scates his 10th NCAA title, tying him with John Wooden. Ricci Luyties was voted Most Outstanding Player and Wally Martin, Doug Partie and Steve Gulnac joined him on the All-Tournament Team.

1984 - AT UCLA

Several milestones were achieved during this historic season. In addition to an undefeated season, the Bruins’ 38 victories were an NCAA men’s volleyball record as well as a school record. Scates guided UCLA to an unprecedented fourth consecutive national championship, his 11th in the 15-year history of the sport, moving him ahead of Wooden. The title match drew a record 9,809 spectators, and UCLA’s Ricci Luyties earned Most Outstanding Player honors for the second straight year. Other Bruins named to the All-Tournament Team were seniors Doug Partie and Roger Clark, plus freshman Ozzie Volstad, who would be instrumental in the Bruins’ next title season.

The Bruins stormed into the NCAA Tournament with all the advantages: a 25-match winning streak, a No. 1 seeding, two weeks of rest, the country’s best record, the home court crowd and a wealth of tradition. In typical Al Scates fashion, UCLA breezed past Ohio State in the semifi nals, while USC needed fi ve games to outlast a tough Penn State team. A crowd of 8,952, third largest in collegiate volleyball history, cheered as the Bruins swept past their arch rivals in a two-hour, three-game match, 15-11, 15-2, 16-14. UCLA tied its school record for single season victories by fi nishing with a 38-3 record, and senior All-American Ozzie Volstad capped an outstanding career by earning Most Outstanding Player honors. Seniors Jeff Williams and Arne Lamberg also were named to the All-Tournament Team.

1989 - AT UCLA

The Bruins were hosts for the 20th annual tournament, featuring a fi nal match showdown between a veteran coach and his young understudy. Fred Sturm, a member of the Bruins’ 1976 NCAA title team, entered Pauley Pavilion as head coach of Stanford, playing in its fi rst title match. In the semifi nals, the Bruins swept Penn State, while the Cardinal got a scare from Ball State before winning in four. In the fi nal, the Bruins jumped off to a quick start and won Games 1 and 2, 15-1, 15-13. Stanford appeared to have regrouped in Game 3 by stomping the Bruins 15-4, but Scates and MVP Matt Sonnichsen hung on to win Game 4, 15-12. Bruins named to the All-Tournament team were Trevor Schirman, who shut down Stanford Olympian Scott Fortune, and seniors Anthony Curci and Matt Whitaker.

1993 - AT UCLA

UCLA ended a three-year championship drought by sweeping Ohio State in the semifi nals and upstart Cal State Northridge in the fi nals. The Bruins continued several championship streaks: they extended their Pauley Pavilion NCAA post-season winning string to 20 consecutive matches and ran their record in home court NCAA fi nals to 14-0. Scates’ 14th NCAA title inched him closer to the national record. Senior setter Mike Sealy and sophomore quick hitter Jeff Roger Clark earned NCAA All-Tourna- Nygaard earned co-Most Outstanding Player ment honors in 1984. honors. Senior Dan Landry and sophomore Kevin Wong also were voted to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. The Bruins set a two-match NCAA Tournament record by hitting .463, and Nygaard set a single match championship record by hitting .867 (13-0-15) against Ohio State.

1995 - AT SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

The championship returned to volleyball’s birthplace and the kingpin of the sport reclaimed its crown. Following the second-place fi nish to Penn State the previous year, UCLA’s four fi fth-year seniors vowed revenge in earnest. UCLA avenged a shocking 3-0 mid-season loss to Ball State by spanking the Cardinals 3-0 in the semifi nals. Revenge also served as the major motivation against Penn State. The Bruins swept them in the fi nals to restore order to the collegiate volleyball world. Along the waythe Bruins established some impressive records: 34 straight weeks as the nation’s No.1 ranked team, a string of 34 home victories and three consecutive 19-0 MPSF title seasons. Senior Jeff Nygaard won his second straight AVCA and Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year awards, and Stein Metzger, John Speraw and Nygaard were named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, the latter selected as Most Outstanding Player.

Kevin Wong earned NCAA All-Tournament honors as a sophomore in 1993. John Speraw (l) and Erik Sullivan team up for this block against Penn State in the 1995 NCAA fi nals at Springfi eld, MA.

The improbable championship proved one of the most exciting and gratifying for coach Al Scates. “This one was special because we had to work so hard for it,” said Scates, whose 16th title tied him with former Houston golf coach Dave Williams for the NCAA lead. With four starters gone from the previous season, the Bruins gutted out No.16 in a thrilling fi ve-game, three-hour and twenty-seven minute fi nal against Hawaii, the preseason favorite. The victory raised the Bruins’ intimidating post-season home-court record to 24-0 and improved their overall NCAA playoff record to 43-4. UCLA’s Stein Metzger, the AVCA co-Player of the Year, earned All-Tournament honors along with the Bruins’ Tom Stillwell, who led the country in blocking average.

1998 - AT HAWAI’I

The Bruins saved their best for last in winning for Scates a record-breaking 17th title. After outlasting Lewis University 3-2 in the semifi nals, the fi nal against Pepperdine on a hostile court proved to be a match of veterans vs. inexperience. With fi ve of six starters boasting NCAA championship match experience, the Bruins cruised to a 3-0 victory over the Waves, who claimed just one starter with previous championship experience. Scates saved his best game plan for the fi nal, which produced a Bruin hitting percentage of .454 and nine aces. Adam Naeve, who spiked 23 kills on .629 hitting and added three aces and fi ve blocks, was named Most Outstanding Player. Setter Brandon Taliaferro and outside hitter Fred Robins also were named to the All-Tournament Team.

2000 - AT IPFW

This championship was all about avenging past demons. The coaches were determined to eradicate all the bad memories of losing the 1994 championship match to Penn State at IPFW and the players wanted to redeem themselves after losing in the fi rst round of the 1999 league playoffs. Senior setter Brandon Taliaferro guided UCLA to a pair of sweeps over Penn State in the semifi nals and Ohio State in the fi nals. Against OSU, the Bruins hit .459 for the match, served eight aces, and out-blocked the Buckeyes, 12-6. Senior Evan Thatcher led all players with 25 kills (.468). Taliaferro and junior Mark Williams added three aces apiece and sophomore Matt Komer led the team with six blocks. The turning point in the match came in Game 3 when senior Ed Ratledge rallied the Bruins from a 13-8 defi cit by serving two points, including an ace. Taliaferro earned Most Outstanding Player honors and seniors Seth Burnham and Thatcher were named to the All-Tournament Team.

2006 - AT PENN STATE

On March 17, the Bruins rallied to defeat USC 3-2 to win the Kilgour Cup. The victory improved the Bruins’ overall record to 13-12 and ignited a 14-match winning streak that included several improbable upsets: 3-1 at Hawaii in the MPSF quarterfi nals, 3-0 vs. Pepperdine in the league semifi nals and 3-1 vs. Long Beach State in the MPSF championship match. The Bruins buried IPFW 3-0 in the NCAA semifi nals and defeated host Penn State in the championship to capture their 19th NCAA crown under Scates and UCLA’s 98th overall. In the championship match, the Bruins rallied from an eightpoint defi cit in Game 2 to win their second NCAA title at Penn State (the fi rst came in 1982). Damien Scott and Dennis Gonzalez were named to the All-Tournament team, and Steve Klosterman, who had battled back from shoulder surgery the previous season, was named Most Outstanding Player. The Bruins’ 26-12 overall record represented the most losses by a national champion.

MOST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN A SINGLE SPORT (DIV. I - AS OF MARCH,2022)

1. Oklahoma State Wrestling - 34 (fi rst title in 1928, last in 2006) 2. USC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field - 26 (fi rst title in 1926, last in 1976)

3. Denver Skiing - 24 (fi rst title in 1954, last in 2018) 4. Iowa Wrestling - 23 (fi rst title in 1975, last in 2010) 5. North Carolina Women’s Soccer - 21 (fi rst title in 1982, last in 2012)

Yale Men’s Golf - 21 (fi rst title in 1897, last in 1943) USC Men’s Tennis - 21 (fi rst title in 1946, last in 2014) 8. Arkansas Men’s Indoor Track and Field - 20 (fi rst title in 1984, last in 2013)

Stanford women’s tennis - 20 (fi rst title in 1982, last in 2019) 10. UCLA Men’s Volleyball - 19 (fi rst title in 1970, last in 2006) West Virginia Rifl e - 19 (fi rst title in 1983, last in 2017) Colorado Skiing - 19 (fi rst title in 1959, last in 2015)